Medical Doctors participating in Vegfest 2015

The following local medical doctors all support the idea that a vegetarian diet
is much better for your health than the standard meat-laden American diet. Many
of these doctors will be speaking at Vegfest 2015. Check the schedule
to see when they will present. Other medical doctors and healthcare providers
will be offering free health screenings throughout the event. Please check at
the information table at the front of the room to find out where they are
located.

Speakers at Vegfest 2015

Our speakers program provides an invaluable opportunity to hear the latest on
nutrition and health from our doctors and dietitians. There is always ample
opportunity to ask questions, both at the talks and afterwards in the bookstore
or at their booths.

Patricia McEachrane-Gross M.D.

Dr. Patricia McEachrane-Gross brings a new and unique philosophy to family medicine, combining elements of an old-fashioned doctor’s office with modern medicine and a holistic, common-sense approach to health and well being. Dr. McEachrane-Gross is board-certified in family medicine and preventive medicine. She grew up and attended medical school in the Caribbean, and completed her Family Practice residency at the JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey.

“I call my philosophy functional medicine,” says Dr. McEachrane-Gross, who has both a medical degree and a Masters of Public Health (M.D.H.) degree among her credentials. “It’s a philosophy that’s been around for a number of years, but it’s becoming a new approach to medicine. ”Educating patients about proper diet and lifestyle is a major component of her practice, she says. “Most of our chronic diseases, whether it’s high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, cancer – all of them have a lifestyle basis. Yes, there are some heredity aspects. But the majority of the causes are based in lifestyle and diet.”

Chan Hwang M.D.

Chan Hwang, M.D.
obtained his medical degree at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in
1994 and completed a four-year residency program in Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation in 1998 at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
Medical School. Dr. Hwang has been in practice in the Seattle area focusing on
the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular disorders since 1998. He
has also been the pain clinic physician consultant for the Puyallup location of
UBC, Inc. since May of 2001. His passion is to provide lifestyle and physical
medicine as well as rehabilitation resources to the under-served not only in
Western Washington but internationally as well.

Arun Kalyanasundaram M.D.

Dr. Arun Kalyanasundaram (Dr.
K) is an interventional cardiologist with practices at Highline
Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Originally from India, Dr.
K is a lifelong vegetarian. He obtained a Masters in Public Health at the
University of Maryland, and then completed his residency and fellowship at
Geisinger and Cleveland clinics respectively. He moved to Seattle in 2011. Dr K.
strongly believes in a holistic approach to cardiology – with a particular
emphasis on preventive cardiology primarily through diet and lifestyle. He was
greatly impressed by the work of Dr Dean Ornish, Dr T. Colin Campbell and Dr.
Caldwell Esselstyn, who all advocate a plant-based diet, and his “template” of a
diet for his patients is based on the seminal work of Dr. Esselstyn.

After his
talk, and throughout the rest of the weekend, Dr K, along with Dr. Helmuth
Fritz, will be offering free carotid artery scans at Vegfest, so you can
discover the level of plaque build up in your arteries, and whether a vegetarian
diet would help.

Uma Malhotra
M.D.

Dr. Malhotra is an Infectious
Diseases and Internal Medicine physician at Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC)
in Seattle. She received her medical degree from the All India Institute of
Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, receiving the President’s Silver Medal.
After completing her infectious diseases fellowship at the University of
Washington (UW) in 1998, she served on the faculty at the UW and Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center before moving to VMMC in 2008. Besides her role as a
clinician at VMMC, she conducts translational research in immunology at the
Benaroya Research Institute.

Dr. Malhotra grew up as a vegetarian in India and now having lived in the US for
over 25 years she has embraced vegetarian cuisines from many cultures. She will
discuss the immense benefits of a whole unrefined plant-based diet and the joys
of a healthful vegetarian cuisine.

Aisha Nnoli M.D.

Dr. Nnoli is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist who is a faculty physician at Tacoma General Hospital. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of California Riverside, medical education at the University of California Los Angeles and graduate training in obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. Her practice of medicine promotes healthy eating and physical activity, which she also lives by.

Deborah Winters M.D.

Deborah Winters has always been interested in learning. After medical school and residency at Loma Linda University, she settled with her family in middle Tennessee, where she worked, homeschooled her children, presented a few Stop Smoking Clinics, created wholesome, nutritious vegetarian meals, and enjoyed rural living. She has traveled to many places and gone on mission trips to Cambodia, Mexico and Alaska. As part of the long-term Loma Linda University Health Study, Deborah believes that her vegetarian/vegan lifestyle and the challenges of Travel Medicine will keep her mind and body alert and active for years to come.

As a radiologist, she has noted increasing numbers of cancers, especially breast and colon cancer, and the U.S. obesity ‘epidemic.’ In response she notes: “The key to health is to reason from cause to effect. A problem without a cause has no remedy. Sound science is believing that we must address the cause if we are to fix the problem.”

Doctors Offering Free Health Screenings

Ani Das’ M.D.

Dr. Ani Das’ particular focus in
training during medical school was the application of osteopathic manipulation
to musculoskeletal medicine. He completed his post-graduate medical training at
the University of Washington/Valley Medical Center in Family Medicine. Dr. Das
practices family medicine, osteopathic medicine, and sports medicine. He is
currently on the Clinical Faculty at the University of Washington, teaching
musculoskeletal medicine and osteopathy to Family Medicine residents. Outside
medicine, Dr. Das is an avid triathlete and an IRONMAN finisher. He currently
trains in Crossfit and yoga to bring balance to his endurance focus.

Helmuth Fritz M.D.

Helmuth Fritz, M.D. is board
certified in Internal Medicine and is an assistant clinical professor of
medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Prior to his Loma Linda
University appointment, he served as a staff physician and researcher at the
NEWSTART Medical Clinic at Weimar Institute, a health and education organization
that focuses on lifestyle to treat and prevent many common degenerative
diseases. He has over 20 years experience practicing general internal medicine
in Washington State.

Arun Kalyanasundaram M.D.

Dr. Arun Kalyanasundaram (Dr.
K) is an interventional cardiologist with practices at Highline
Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Originally from India, Dr.
K is a lifelong vegetarian. He obtained a Masters in Public Health at the
University of Maryland, and then completed his residency and fellowship at
Geisinger and Cleveland clinics respectively. He moved to Seattle in 2011. Dr K.
strongly believes in a holistic approach to cardiology – with a particular
emphasis on preventive cardiology primarily through diet and lifestyle. He was
greatly impressed by the work of Dr Dean Ornish, Dr T. Colin Campbell and Dr.
Caldwell Esselstyn, who all advocate a plant-based diet, and his “template” of a
diet for his patients is based on the seminal work of Dr. Esselstyn.

After his
talk, and throughout the rest of the weekend, Dr K, along with Dr. Helmuth
Fritz, will be offering free carotid artery scans at Vegfest, so you can
discover the level of plaque build up in your arteries, and whether a vegetarian
diet would help.

In addition, look for representatives from Bastyr Center for Natural Health,
chiropractors and registered dietitians at their booths throughout Vegfest.